Powder injection molding (PIM) can be used to produce complex shaped parts of metal, ceramic and/or carbide materials. PIM involves injection of a feedstock including a binder and a powder material such as a metal, a ceramic, or carbide into a mold to produce a green part. This green part is further processed in a debinding step to eliminate the binder, and a porous and friable brown part is produced. The brown part is sintered to obtain the final product that may be in the form of a complex shaped part. Metal injection molding (MIM) is a type of PIM which may be used to manufacture metal parts.
The green part is usually placed in a supporting material, for example in a particulate material, before the debinding process such as to minimize shape deformations during the removal of the binder. However, it may be difficult for green parts having complex shapes to provide for adequate engagement of the particulate material with the part.